Cleveland Browns Fallout from Week 10 

The team that the Cleveland Browns lined up against in their Week 10 matchup looked like an easy ‘W’ on paper. Just before the NFL trade deadline, the New York Jets dismantled their once-impressive defense, jettisoning Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams for draft picks and backups to prep for the future.

With defensive self-inflicted wounds and a struggling offense, the Jets were handing the 2-7 Browns the keys to victory. However, Cleveland can teach a master class in grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory.

In Week 10, the Browns found a new way to lose, allowing the Jets’ special teams to score two returns for touchdowns within 36 seconds. Kene Nwangwu’s 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Isaiah Williams’ punt return for a 74-yard score made franchise history while demoralizing Cleveland and its fans.

The Browns showed signs of life after the pair of Jets’ TDs and tied the game twice. Myles Garrett added another quarterback sack to his resume, and the team bested the Jets in every stat except the one that matters- the final score, 27-20 NYJ.

Front Office Reaction

We have to wonder what the boss thinks of the ugly loss, a still untested rookie quarterback, and Tommy Rees upstairs calling the plays. When the dust settled, speculation took over. Rumors and opinions regarding Head Coach Kevin Stefanski’s future with the Browns swirled in the lake effect snow—many expected Browns’ owner Jimmy Haslam to call Stefanski on the carpet. Despite the team’s horrible record and nearly complete waste of defensive talent, Haslam is not putting his coach in a do-or-die situation. At least not yet.

Stefanski repeated his stance that rookie Dillon Gabriel will remain QB1. He doubled down on this line by stating the (painfully) obvious. We all know the speech. It went something like, Dillon Gabriel is a young player, and the Brown’s offense must play better. Good talk, coach. Really glad Stefanski cleared that up for everyone. Although it IS possible to play worse than allowing six sacks, focusing on ‘better’ is a reasonable idea.

If we are talking about playing better offense, eliminating drive-killing penalties such as holding, false starts, delay of game, and illegal formations, etc. is the way to go. Make the opponent beat us- stop the self-inflicted wounds. These weren’t simply mistakes but rather mental errors that led to self-destruction.

Rookie of the Week?

The improbable announcement that Dillon Gabriel was one of the Week 10 Rookie of the Week nominees had many across the league shrugging their shoulders and scratching their heads. Gabriel’s performance in Foxborough was uneven at best. Checkdown passes and a lack of offensive fireworks aside, the rookie starter had a passing record of a hair over 50% accuracy at 17 of 32 for 167 yards. Additionally, he tossed 2 touchdowns and did not give up any interceptions. Tacking on 54 rushing yards is also unremarkable. Many observers around the league question if that is enough to overshadow some ragged quarterback play? Someone out there believes this is the case.

The Future Still in Question

In spite of promises made in February to former Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, about ensuring the team becomes competitive, Haslam is testing the rookies and stocking up on draft picks. The wait-and-see stance (while familiar) is bad news for players and fans. It further solidifies the perennial ‘next year mentality. However, this line of thinking is good news for Stefanski and the Browns’ General Manager, Andrew Berry. Both will likely be around in 2026. While there is something to be said for continuity, expecting different results from the same actions is technically insanity.